Argentina by the numbers
Poverty, wages, rents, jobs and prices in Argentina, from the official statistics, updated when new figures come out.
Poverty and extreme poverty
- In extreme poverty 7.5%
People living below the poverty line, % of people in urban Argentina
Horizontal axis: half-years, from second half of 2020 to first half of 2026.
What this means: A household is poor when its income does not cover a basic basket of food and other essentials. It is in extreme poverty when its income does not cover the food alone.
See the figures
| Period | Below the poverty line | In extreme poverty |
|---|---|---|
| First half of 2026 | 32.3% | 7.5% |
| Second half of 2025 | 28.2% | 6.3% |
| First half of 2025 | 31.6% | 6.9% |
| Second half of 2024 | 38.1% | 8.2% |
| First half of 2024 | 52.9% | 18.1% |
| Second half of 2023 | 41.7% | 11.9% |
| First half of 2023 | 40.1% | 9.3% |
| Second half of 2022 | 39.2% | 8.1% |
| First half of 2022 | 36.5% | 8.8% |
| Second half of 2021 | 37.3% | 8.2% |
| First half of 2021 | 40.6% | 10.7% |
| Second half of 2020 | 42.0% | 10.5% |
Limits: Covers the 31 urban areas INDEC surveys, not rural areas or the whole country. It counts people, not households. It comes from a survey, so small changes between half-years can be within the margin of error.
Source: INDEC, Permanent Household Survey (EPH). Open the source
Wages after inflation
- Public-sector workers −2.1%
Change in wages after inflation, compared with a year earlier, %
Horizontal axis: months, from August 2025 to July 2026.
What this means: Above zero, wages buy more than they did a year earlier. Below zero, they buy less.
See the figures
| Period | Registered private-sector workers | Public-sector workers |
|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | −3.1% | −2.1% |
| June 2026 | −3.0% | −2.6% |
| May 2026 | −2.9% | −4.3% |
| April 2026 | −2.3% | −2.0% |
| March 2026 | −3.9% | −2.3% |
| February 2026 | −4.1% | −4.3% |
| January 2026 | −2.9% | −1.8% |
| December 2025 | −2.1% | −2.0% |
| November 2025 | −1.7% | −1.2% |
| October 2025 | −0.6% | 0.4% |
| September 2025 | 0.9% | 2.5% |
| August 2025 | 1.9% | 3.9% |
Limits: This is an index of wage changes, not an average pay in pesos. The real change compares each wage index with INDEC’s consumer prices for the same month. Wage figures arrive about two months after the month they cover. Workers off the books are left out: their figures are built from a household survey and run about five months behind.
Source: INDEC, wage index (Índice de salarios) and consumer prices. Open the source
Rents
- Rent, Pampas 53.8%
- Rent, Northeast 59.8%
- Rent, Northwest 56.6%
- Rent, Cuyo 49.5%
- Rent, Patagonia 63.7%
- Rent contract index (ICL) · October 2026 31.3%
Rent by region, change compared with a year earlier, %
Horizontal axis: months, from October 2025 to September 2026.
What this means: Each line is the rise in the rent item of INDEC’s consumer price index in one of its six regions. Under the chart is the index the central bank publishes for adjusting rent contracts.
See the figures
| Period | Rent, Greater Buenos Aires | Rent, Pampas | Rent, Northeast | Rent, Northwest | Rent, Cuyo | Rent, Patagonia | Rent contract index (ICL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 31.3% | ||||||
| September 2026 | 40.4% | 53.8% | 59.8% | 56.6% | 49.5% | 63.7% | 31.7% |
| August 2026 | 42.7% | 56.6% | 73.3% | 59.1% | 50.7% | 68.3% | 31.7% |
| July 2026 | 44.1% | 57.7% | 69.4% | 67.9% | 53.6% | 73.2% | 31.5% |
| June 2026 | 43.3% | 57.2% | 73.8% | 72.1% | 55.9% | 75.6% | 31.6% |
| May 2026 | 44.3% | 62.0% | 81.9% | 75.2% | 58.5% | 88.6% | 32.1% |
| April 2026 | 50.7% | 64.1% | 80.9% | 81.6% | 59.7% | 87.4% | 32.8% |
| March 2026 | 52.3% | 66.6% | 80.3% | 85.0% | 61.2% | 88.9% | 33.3% |
| February 2026 | 55.0% | 67.2% | 83.7% | 97.1% | 68.6% | 101.7% | 33.9% |
| January 2026 | 60.9% | 78.5% | 88.3% | 99.8% | 79.6% | 113.7% | 34.6% |
| December 2025 | 70.8% | 83.1% | 100.9% | 108.7% | 90.9% | 120.3% | 36.5% |
| November 2025 | 77.7% | 96.2% | 99.2% | 114.1% | 97.0% | 114.9% | 39.5% |
| October 2025 | 87.3% | 105.9% | 100.6% | 125.9% | 104.7% | 152.8% |
Limits: The rent lines measure what existing tenants pay in INDEC’s price survey, not asking prices for new listings. Each region averages many cities: Pampas, for example, takes in Córdoba, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, La Pampa and Buenos Aires province outside Greater Buenos Aires. Since Milei’s 2023 deregulation decree contract terms are free, so tenants can see very different increases. Some contracts use the contract index to adjust the rent; it does not measure what rents cost.
Source: INDEC, consumer prices (rent, by region) and BCRA, rent contract index (ICL). Open the source
Unemployment
People looking for work and not finding any, % of the workforce in urban Argentina
Horizontal axis: quarters, from first quarter of 2024 to second quarter of 2026.
What this means: The share of people who want to work and are looking for a job, but have none.
See the figures
| Period | Unemployment |
|---|---|
| Second quarter of 2026 | 7.9% |
| First quarter of 2026 | 7.8% |
| Fourth quarter of 2025 | 7.5% |
| Third quarter of 2025 | 6.6% |
| Second quarter of 2025 | 7.6% |
| First quarter of 2025 | 7.9% |
| Fourth quarter of 2024 | 6.4% |
| Third quarter of 2024 | 6.9% |
| Second quarter of 2024 | 7.6% |
| First quarter of 2024 | 7.7% |
Limits: Covers the 31 urban areas INDEC surveys. It counts people with no work who are looking for it; it does not count people who want more hours or who work without a contract.
Source: INDEC, Permanent Household Survey (EPH). Open the source
Inflation
- Past 12 months 33.4%
What this means: How much prices rose in the month. The 12-month figure compares prices with the same month a year earlier.
Source: INDEC, consumer price index. Open the source
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